Connectors have been used to connect the connection terminal of a conductor trace included in a flexible printed circuit to the connection terminal of a conductor trace in another printed circuit.
In general, a connector of this type includes a housing having an insertion portion into which the connection end portion of the flexible printed circuit is inserted, and a plurality of contacts arrayed and supported in the housing. Inserting the flexible printed circuit into the insertion portion causes the connection terminals of the flexible printed circuit to be brought into contact with the contacting portions of the contacts.
Furthermore, the contact has a connection portion to be connected, for example, by soldering to the connection terminals of the conductor traces of another printed circuit such as a rigid printed circuit. This configuration enables the connection terminals of the conductor traces of a flexible printed circuit and the connection terminals of the conductor traces of another printed circuit to be connected to each other via the contacts of the connector.
However, the flexible printed circuit is less in strength than the rigid printed circuit, and may be damaged due to the repetition of insertion and extraction of the flexible printed circuit into/from the connector. In this context, such a structure as a Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) structure has been used which enables insertion and extraction of the flexible printed circuit without applying an excessive force in the direction of the insertion and extraction at the time of the insertion and extraction (for example, see Patent Literature 1).
Disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is a connector configured such that a notch engagement portion on a side surface of a flexible printed circuit having been inserted into a housing is engaged with an engagement part provided on an electrically conductive shell. There is provided a disengagement portion as an actuator on the upper portion of the electrically conductive shell, and pressing the operation portion allows for releasing the engagement state of the flexible printed circuit by the engagement part.